by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 7, 2013
Country hokum with a playlist to match.
When she can’t seem to stop trying to contact ex-boyfriend Joey even after a temporary restraining order, Rosie’s parents decide to send her on a road trip from New Jersey to Arizona with three guys.
Matty, the neighbor kid who is a year younger than Rosie and practically a member of the family, has been planning the trip with buddy Spencer, whose brother Logan wants to take his car to college. The hope is that Rosie will learn to control her impulsive nature along the way and show some maturity and thoughtfulness. The result is not particularly suspenseful or surprising. The country tunes that make up the book’s soundtrack also indicate the stops along the way: Luray Caverns, Dollywood, the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Grand Ole Opry and Graceland. The story revs up a bit at an all-ages nightclub near Dallas, and then they move on to the Grand Canyon. A love triangle among Rosie, Logan, the hot older brother, and Matty, the boy next door, adds a level of trite, as does Avery, the incredibly rich, dedicated-to-humanity girl whom Logan wants to stop and see. Is that two love triangles? At any rate, Rosie gradually learns to think of someone besides herself and to see her ex more realistically.
Country hokum with a playlist to match. (Romance. 12-16)Pub Date: May 7, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4424-5940-3
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 5, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2013
Share your opinion of this book
More by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Awards & Accolades
Likes
13
Our Verdict
GET IT
New York Times Bestseller
by Stephanie Garber ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 28, 2021
A lushly written story with an intriguing heart.
Awards & Accolades
Likes
13
Our Verdict
GET IT
New York Times Bestseller
After praying to a Fate for help, Evangeline discovers the dangerous world of magic.
When her father passes away, Evangeline is left with her cold stepmother and kind but distant stepsister, Marisol. Despite inheriting a steady trust in magic, belief in her late mother’s homeland of the mystical North (where fantastical creatures live), and philosophy of hope for the future, her dreams are dashed when Luc, her love, pledges to marry Marisol instead. Evangeline desperately prays to the Prince of Hearts, a dangerous and fickle Fate famed for his heart that is waiting to be revived by his one true love—and his potentially lethal kisses. The bargain they strike sends her on a dark and magical journey throughout the land. The writing style fluctuates from clever and original to overly verbose and often confusing in its jumble of senses. While the pervasive magic and concept of the Fates as a religious system add interest, other fantasy elements are haphazardly incorporated without enough time devoted to building a cohesive world. However, the themes of love, the power of story, family influence, and holding onto belief are well rounded and add depth. The plot contains welcome surprises, and the large cast piques curiosity; readers will wish more time was spent getting to know them. Evangeline has rose-gold hair and, like other main characters, reads as White; there is diversity among the fantasy races in this world.
A lushly written story with an intriguing heart. (map) (Fantasy. 12-16)Pub Date: Sept. 28, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-26839-6
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
Share your opinion of this book
More In The Series
More by Stephanie Garber
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
by Stephanie Garber ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 29, 2018
Dark, seductive, but over-the-top: Characters and book alike will enthrall those who choose to play.
Garber returns to the world of bestseller Caraval (2017), this time with the focus on younger, more daring sister Donatella.
Valenda, capital of the empire, is host to the second of Legend’s magical games in a single year, and while Scarlett doesn’t want to play again, blonde Tella is eager for a chance to prove herself. She is haunted by the memory of her death in the last game and by the cursed Deck of Destiny she used as a child which foretold her loveless future. Garber has changed many of the rules of her expanding world, which now appears to be infused with magic and evil Fates. Despite a weak plot and ultraviolet prose (“He tasted like exquisite nightmares and stolen dreams, like the wings of fallen angels, and bottles of fresh moonlight.”), this is a tour de force of imagination. Themes of love, betrayal, and the price of magic (and desire) swirl like Caraval’s enchantments, and Dante’s sensuous kisses will thrill readers as much as they do Tella. The convoluted machinations of the Prince of Hearts (one of the Fates), Legend, and even the empress serve as the impetus for Tella’s story and set up future volumes which promise to go bigger. With descriptions focusing primarily on clothing, characters’ ethnicities are often indeterminate.
Dark, seductive, but over-the-top: Characters and book alike will enthrall those who choose to play. (glossary) (Fantasy. 12-16)Pub Date: May 29, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-250-09531-2
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: March 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2018
Share your opinion of this book
More by Stephanie Garber
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.